Sue Perkins announced as new host of BBC Radio 4’s Just a Minute

Former Great British Bake Off host replaces the late Nicholas Parsons

Broadcaster and comedian Sue Perkins has been confirmed as the new host of BBC Radio 4’s panel show Just a Minute.

The announcement follows the death of previous host Nicholas Parsons.

Parsons had presented Just a Minute from 1967 until shortly before he died aged 96 in January 2020.

“I’m beyond delighted to be asked to host this most legendary of shows,” said Perkins, who is best known as an original presenter of The Great British Bake Off alongside Mel Giedroyc.

Speaking about replacing Parsons, Perkins said: “Nicholas’s shoes are way too big to fill, but I shall bring my own shoes, and work my socks off in them to keep our listeners entertained.”

Regular panellists Gyles Brandreth and Paul Merton will return for the new series, which premieres Monday 6 September 2021 on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC Sounds app.

Perkins has a long history with Just a Minute, having starred on the show 58 times as a guest. The 51-year-old made her debut appearance in 2000.

Parsons’s widow, Annie Parsons, has also commented on the appointment.

She stated that Nicholas “would be delighted to know that Just a Minute will continue long into the future under the superb guardianship of Sue Perkins, who fully understands and embraces possibly the most often repeated five words on TV or radio: ‘Without hesitation, repetition or deviation’”.